A few weeks ago, we asked readers to submit the Story from their Soul. This is the story of one’s entrepreneurial journey… the story of when your soul was on fire with the passion for business ownership! You can read other Soul Stories here.
This is the story of Charity Plaster, Owner of A Charmed Event based in Florida…
I can’t ever remember NOT wanting to be a wedding planner. Seriously! I look back through the journals I kept in high school {not that it was THAT long ago! *lol* } and they are full of wedding ideas…not wedding dresses, but centerpieces, linens, photos & bios of established industry professionals {Sylvia Weinstock for example}. I wasn’t using the journals to plan my wedding – I was using them to plan my life…my profession…my passion.
Without any real training, other than the information I gathered from books, magazines & tv, I started working in the wedding industry right after high school. Yeah, it was shaky in the beginning…no business plan, no staff, no money, no clear cut plan at ALL…but again, I couldn’t NOT do it. I was called to this industry and I just followed my heart!
My “aha” moment wasn’t until 2006. I had The World’s Best Bride, Ashlee, and honestly, there wasn’t one particular moment of working with her that moved me…it was every moment of working with her. Ashlee and her family brought a joy to my life that I had never had before. It seemed, to me, that this was the first wedding I had ever done that I was more than just hired help. I truly was part of Ashlee’s life and of her family. We laughed together, we cried, we kvetched, she let me into a part of her life, a part of her spirit that to this day, makes me pause with reflection and smile.
The past year or so I’ve had some unforgettable clients – in the negative way. For a while, I took down my website and seriously considered leaving the industry…but I can’t.
I spent time talking with God, and with my family…should I get a “real” job or should I pursue my dream? We’re in a recession, what’s going to happen to our income? In our area of Florida there are “newly professional” planners popping out of the woodwork everyday – they’re going to undercut me and steal my business, maybe I should just throw in the towel and work a 9-5 job?
The truth is…I can’t.
I love what I do. Being the type of wedding planner I am allows me interact with people on such an intimate level. Brides tell me their fears, their hopes, their dreams…and I give myself over to riding on the emotional roller coaster right along with them! If I have to live a less than glamorous monetary lifestyle, I’m totally okay with that. If I can’t buy the new purse I’ve had my eyes on, or have to forgo because I didn’t succumb to the pressure of getting a “real” job…that’s okay too. I wake up every morning with joy in my heart, excitingly anticipating that day’s workload.
To me, wedding planning is so much more than linens and bouquets. It is a woman that is embarking on the most important {you might say defining} journey of her life…and she invited me to go along with her. I will do everything I can to protect her, to guide her, to encourage her and to help her have the happily ever after she so desires.
Even if it’s just for one day.
Thanks Charity!
If you want to submit your soul story, you still can. The contest has passed… but we always love a good story! Submit here.
by Michelle Loretta
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